BCE Bachelor of Civil Engineering 2

Question 1

Which type of footing is most suitable when the soil bearing capacity is very low and individual footings would overlap?

Accepted Answer

Raft foundation

Answer

A raft (mat) foundation spreads the load over the entire building footprint, reducing bearing pressure when soil capacity is low.

Question 2

In fluid mechanics, the Reynolds number is used to determine:

Accepted Answer

Whether flow is laminar or turbulent

Answer

The Reynolds number is a dimensionless ratio of inertial to viscous forces that predicts flow regime (laminar vs. turbulent).

Question 3

What does the term 'degree of consolidation' express in geotechnical engineering?

Accepted Answer

The ratio of current settlement to total expected settlement

Answer

Degree of consolidation (U) indicates how much of the ultimate consolidation settlement has occurred at a given time.

Question 4

In structural analysis, an 'indeterminate' structure is one where:

Accepted Answer

Equilibrium equations alone are insufficient to find all forces

Answer

Statically indeterminate structures have more unknowns than available equilibrium equations, requiring compatibility conditions to solve.

Question 5

Which water treatment process removes dissolved salts from brackish water or seawater?

Accepted Answer

Reverse osmosis

Answer

Reverse osmosis forces water through a semi-permeable membrane under pressure, rejecting dissolved salts and ions.

BCE - Bachelor of Civil Engineering Practice Test